In today’s society, we see that math engagement slowly declines as students grow older. In order to address this problem, Wang et al. (2021) conducted a study that determined the effects of metacognitive skills, interest, and self-control on math engagement over time. Some common metacognitive skills include planning goals, and monitoring and evaluating one’s learning progress. Self-control is defined as choosing a less desirable, but more profitable option in order to reap greater benefits in the long run. For students, a common self-control behavior may be studying for a test, rather than spending time on social media.
To address the relationship among the facets, Wang et al. (2021) designed two longitudinal studies using primarily self-report measures with nearly 2,500 adolescents in middle and high school.
Results showed that engagement declined over time. However, this did not mean that the phenomenon couldn’t be reversed. There was a compensation effect between metacognition and interest when looking at math engagement. In other words, students who reported low metacognition were able to maintain high math engagement, as long as they had a high interest. The same logic was held true for students with low interest and high metacognition. The compensation effect indicated that high metacognitive skills and/or high interest could potentially forestall the decline of math engagement over time.
Another important finding was the relationship between metacognition and self-control and its impact on math engagement. Results showed that high metacognitive skills were associated with high self-control and high math engagement. It seemed that students with stronger metacognition were better able to apply metacognitive skills because of their self-control. This relationship indicated that these two facets could reinforce or complement each other to increase math engagement on a daily basis.
The findings were hopeful because they informed ways that could potentially increase math engagement over time. For example, in classrooms, teachers can 1) promote student interest by taking novel approaches to present information, 2) boost metacognitive skills by explicitly teaching the necessary skill sets, and 3) enhance self-control by offering goal setting strategies and ways to implement those goals. In the long run, it would bolster math engagement, even for students, who are not necessarily high-performing.
Wang et al. (2021)’s research also informs EPIC’s work on students’ failure stories in math and science classes. When sharing their stories, some of the students we work with express their lack of interest in math. The findings from Wang et al. (2021)’s study may provide us with insight into understanding the relationship between math interest and failure, and the impact failure may have on students’ math class behavior and self-control.
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Reference:
Wang, M-E., Binning, K. R., Del Toro, J., Qin, X., & Zepeda, C. D. (2021). Skill, Thrill, and Will: The Role of Metacognition, Interest, and Self-Control in Predicting Student Engagement in Mathematics Learning Over Time. Child Development, 92(4), 1369-1387.
